Hinterhalt: The Art of Panther Camouflage - Part One

Hinterhalt: The Art of Panther CamouflagePart Onewith Blake Coster

By August 1944, the Wehrmacht was mostly on the defensive. The Allies had broken out of their Normandy beachhead while the Red Army was rampaging westward after the success of Operation Bagration. During this change in fortune, the Allied air power proved decisive; making movement during daylight hours near impossible and menacing the trapped German forces mercilessly during the encirclement at Falaise.

Left:An excellent example of the 'Disc' scheme used by MAN / MNH.

It was during this time that the German tank
factories were instructed to apply a new type camouflage scheme as part
of the manufacturing process. The scheme become known
as Hinterhalt-Tarnung or Ambush camouflage and was designed to aid in the
concealment of combat vehicles under trees and other such foliage.

Right:A knocked-out Panther G painted in the Hinterhalt or Ambush camouflage scheme. This example features the 'Chin' mantlet; designed to prevent incoming rounds from ricocheting downwards and penetrating the thin top armour of the Panther.

The new scheme consisted of a base colour of Dunkelgelb (Dark Yellow) with random patches of Olivgrün (Olive Green) and Rotbraun (Red Brown) sprayed over the Dark Yellow base colour. Dark Yellow spots were then added to the Olive Green and Red Brown patches. To add further contrast, spots of Olive Green were then painted on the areas where the Dark Yellow base colour could still be seen.

Left:A Panther G finished in the 'Dot' scheme used by Daimler-Benz. Note the Infrared device attached to the cupola.

The contrasting spots and colours simulated perfectly the effect of the shadows and shards of light created by sunlight passing through a tree canopy. This effect could be further enhanced by the use of foliage to further breakup the outline of the vehicle.

Right:A Jadgpanther parked under a tree; note the shadows and sunlight that the ambush camouflage scheme attempted to replicate.

The tank factories involved in the application of this new scheme included Maschinenfabrik Augsburg-Nürnberg (MAN),
Maschinenfabrik Niedersachsen-Hannover (MNH), Daimler-Benz, Demag,
Niebelungenwerk, Skoda, Henschel and Krupp. The new Panthers rolling off
the production lines at MAN, MNH and Daimler-Benz were amongst the
vehicles that received this new camouflage scheme.

Left:The rear of a Panther G finished in Ambush camouflage over a layer of Zimmerit anti-magnetic paste. Orders were issued to cease the application of Zimmerit in early September 1944 after the Ambush scheme came into effect.

There were two types of official ambush
camouflage schemes applied to the Panther; the first was utilised by
Daimler-Benz and was created by spraying spots of contrasting colours
onto the three-colour scheme as described previously in this article.

Right:An American soldier examines a knocked-out Panther G featuring a finish of Ambush camouflage on the side skirt. Note the raised engine fan on the engine deck; this device drew warm air created by the engine into the fighting compartment to provide a crude but effective heating system for the crew.

The Daimler-Benz Ambush SchemeLearn how to apply this camouflage scheme to the Flames Of War Panther G miniature here...

Below:Contrasting spots of Olive Green sprayed onto any area of the Dark Yellow base colour still showing.

The second type of scheme was created by using a stencil made up of overlapping discs. These stencils were placed over the patches of olive green and red brown and sprayed with dark yellow to create a unique interlocking circle pattern. It was this pattern that was employed by the workers at MAN and MNH factories.

Below:A stencil made of interlocking disc is then placed over the Olive Green and Red Brown patches and another application of the Dark Yellow base colour is applied. This is what created this scheme's distinctive look.

Below:Another overspray of Dark Yellow could also be applied in order to add more contrast by breaking up any large sections of the Olive Green and Red Brown patches. Note how the edges of the discs blend into the base colour.

By October 1944, the Ambush scheme had all but been abandoned in favour of a much more simplified process. Newly manufactured vehicles were merely left in the red oxide colour of the rustproof primer that was applied to all armoured vehicles. Applications of dark yellow and olive green were then applied directly to the red oxide primer in order to create some remnants of a camouflage scheme.

Join me next time as I attempt to recreate these camouflage scheme on our Panther miniatures.